Niccolò "Nicola" Matas (6 December 1798 – 11 March 1872)
was an Italian architect and professor. He is best known for being the architect of the 19th century
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
façade of the
Basilica of Santa Croce in
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
, Italy. Matas was a professor at the
Academy of Fine Arts, Florence ().
He is one of the important architects in the history of the city of Florence.
Biography
Early life
Niccolò "Nicola" Matas was born on December 6, 1798, in
Ancona
Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...
, in
Marche
Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...
,
Papal States (now present-day Italy).
His family was Jewish and of Spanish descent.
He studied at
Academy of Fine Arts, Rome (); followed by study at the
Academy of Fine Arts, Venice () and the Academy of Fine Arts, Vicenza ().
Career
In 1825, Matas moved to Florence, where he was an academic professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Florence (), primarily teaching architecture.
His architect contemporaries in Tuscany included Gaetano Baccani, Mariano Falcini,
Emilio De Fabris, and
Giuseppe Poggi.
Matas worked closely with sculptor
Giovanni Dupré of Gipsoteca Dupré.
He had a working relationship with
Anatoly Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato.
From 1857 to 1863, he worked on the design of the façade of Basilica of Santa Croce, where he worked in a prominent
Star of David
The Star of David (, , ) is a symbol generally recognized as representing both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles.
A derivation of the Seal of Solomon was used for decora ...
into the top of the building.
The design of the building was said to be influenced by a now-lost drawing by
Simone del Pollaiolo, named "il Cronaca".
He is also thought to have been inspired by the
Siena Cathedral () and
Orvieto Cathedral (). At the same time he was working on the restoration (1851) of
Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri, Pisa and the plan of the monumental
cimitero delle Porte Sante (1848–59) at
San Miniato al Monte, Florence (completed by Mariano Falcini).
Matas died in Florence on 11 March 1872.
His body was moved in 1886, and Matas is buried under the porch at the Basilica of Santa Croce.
Works
Restorations
* 1826: (), Florence, Tuscany, Italy. He restored the building.
* 1834:
Ancona Cathedral (), Ancona, Marche, Italy. He restored the building and the dome with copper.
* 1836: , Florence, Tuscany, Italy. He restored the building.
New buildings or new portions of buildings
* 1835: , Ancona, Marche, Italy. He worked on the building decorations.
* 1842: (), Bibbiena, Tuscany, Italy
* 1857–1863: façade of
Santa Croce, Florence, Tuscany, Italy
* 1851: ''Demidoff Gallery'' at , Elba Island, Portoferraio, province of Livorno, Italy
* 1850–1855:
Cimitero delle Porte Sante, near
San Miniato al Monte, Florence, Italy
Ancona, Teatro delle Muse 01.jpg, Teatro delle Muse, Ancona
File:17-6-09-Villa san Martino (38).JPG, Villa san Martino, Elba
File:Santa Croce (Florence) - Facade.jpg, Façade of Santa Croce, Florence
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matas, Niccolò
1798 births
1872 deaths
Architects from Florence
Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma alumni
Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia alumni
Academic staff of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze
Jewish architects